[URBANTH-L] Oral History and Peformance Conference Registration Open Dec. 21

Oral History and Performance Conference Committee oralhistoryandperformance at gmail.com
Thu Dec 20 19:58:32 EST 2007


Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region is pleased to announce that
registration for the 2008 Oral History and Performance Conference will open
December 21, 2007.

 The conference will be held at Columbia University and the New York Public
Library for the Performing Arts, from March 13-15, 2008.   Please note that
registration for the conference will be limited, and that capacity for the
staged performance on Friday night and the luncheon an Saturday are both
even further constrained.   Registration for the conference, and for all
events, will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.  The final registration
deadline will be Feb. 22, 2008.   See www.ohmar.org for full program and
registration details, which are also attached.



As one of the great performing arts meccas of the world and a vital center
for community-based and grassroots oral history research, New York City is
an ideal place to explore the intersection of oral history and performance.
The call for papers and performances for this conference generated a
tremendous response, from performing artists, oral historians, and other
practitioners.   Over eighty presenters and performers from throughout the
United States, Canada and Europe will convene to learn, discuss, and perform
scholarly and artistic work pertaining to the conference theme.



Where oral history and performance meet lies an important emerging field of
endeavor, with rich cross-disciplinary resonances across anthropology,
sociology, history, performance studies, art history, public history,
arts-based education, community development and many other areas.
Performances,
in a variety of genres, are a powerful means for increasing access to oral
history sources and engaging broad audiences with diverse historical
materials. Conference session will deal with the methodological and
theoretical issues around transforming interviews into performances and the
processes through which stories are performed, in interviews and in other
contexts.


The conference will include presentations using multiple approaches, media,
and theoretical frameworks, falling at various points along the wide
continuum of paper and performance.   On Thursday, March 13, an introduction
to oral history workshop and a workshop on oral history and performance will
be offered.  Friday's opening plenary session will feature a special guest
presenter, followed by simultaneous sessions for the rest of the morning and
afternoon.   Friday evening a staged performance of three works will be
offered to conference participants in an informal black box theater at
Columbia University.   This event will be limited to 110 participants, and
will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.   The performance is
followed by an hors d'oeuvres and open bar reception on campus. Saturday's
events include parallel sessions all day, and the Forrest C. Pogue Award
luncheon.

We hope to see you there!

Conference Program Committee:
Amy Starecheski (chair)
Renee Braden
Jeff Friedman
Susan Kraft
Harriet Lynn


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